Editing In the Bedroom (section)

==Critical reception==
[[File:Tom & Sissy.jpg|thumb|right|The performances of [[Sissy Spacek]] and [[Tom Wilkinson]] received critical acclaim, earning them [[Academy Awards|Academy Award]] nominations for [[Academy Award for Best Actress|Best Actress]] and [[Academy Award for Best Actor|Best Actor]] respectively.]]

Upon its release, the film received critical acclaim for its direction, script, and performances, notably from Wilkinson and Spacek. On [[Rotten Tomatoes]], the film has an approval rating of 93% based on 139 reviews, with an average score of 7.90/10. The site's consensus states "Expertly crafted and performed, ''In the Bedroom'' is a quietly wrenching portrayal of grief."<ref name="rotten">{{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/in_the_bedroom/ |title=''In the Bedroom'' |access-date=January 12, 2022 |website= [[Rotten Tomatoes]] }}</ref>[[Metacritic]], which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 86 out of 100 based on reviews from 31 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".<ref name="metacritic">{{cite web |title= In the Bedroom |url= https://www.metacritic.com/movie/in-the-bedroom |website= [[Metacritic]] }}</ref>

[[David Edelstein]] of ''[[Slate Magazine]]'' in his review of the film wrote that "it is the best movie of the last several years" and described it "the most evocative, the most mysterious, the most inconsolably devastating" film. He further mentioned that the effect of the film "isn't over when you leave the theater" and that it's "always going to be there". He also called ''In the Bedroom'' a "masterpiece".<ref>{{cite news|last=Edelstein |first=David|title=In the Thrall|work=[[Slate Magazine]]|date=23 November 2001 |url=https://slate.com/culture/2001/11/in-the-bedroom-the-most-devastating-film-of-the-year.html |access-date=January 18, 2023}}</ref>

[[Neil Norman]] of ''[[The Evening Standard]]'' stated "It is apparent that Field has not only studied the masters of cinematic understatement, such as [[Yasujirō Ozu|Ozu]] and [[Ingmar Bergman|Bergman]], but that he fully understands their processes... Field's achievement is such a perfectly consummated marriage of intent and execution that he need never make another movie. I would not be alone, I think, in hoping he will make many more."<ref>{{cite news|last= Norman |first=Neil|title=A fatal summer affair|work=[[The Evening Standard]]|date=January 24, 2002}}</ref>

William Arnold of the ''[[Seattle Post-Intelligencer]]'' compared Field's direction to [[Stanley Kubrick|Kubrick]]'s, saying that it "manages to feel both highly controlled and effortlessly spontaneous at the same time; and his lifting of the facade of this picturesque, Norman Rockwell setting is carried out with surgical precision". He further mentioned that "like Kubrick, Field doesn't make any moral judgments about his characters, and his film remains stubbornly enigmatic. It can be read as a high-class revenge thriller, an ode to the futility of vengeance or almost anything in between."<ref>{{cite news|last= Arnold |first=William|title=Pulling Back the Covers on an Idyllic Life |work=[[Seattle Post-Intelligencer]]|date=25 December 2001 |url=https://www.seattlepi.com/ae/movies/article/Pulling-back-the-covers-on-an-idyllic-life-1075460.php |access-date=January 18, 2023}}</ref>

[[Stanley Kauffmann]] of ''[[The New Republic]]'' wrote, "''In the Bedroom'' leaves us with the happy knowledge that with Field the American film scene, continually deplored as scraggly, can boast another admirable directing talent.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Kaufman |first=Stanley |date=17 December 2001 |title=Down to Earth |magazine=[[The New Republic]] |url=https://newrepublic.com/article/66027/down-earth |access-date=January 18, 2023}}</ref>

[[Roger Ebert]] of the ''[[Chicago Sun-Times]]'' stated in his review that it is "one of the best-directed films of the year" and that "every performance has a perfect tone".<ref name="Ebert Review">{{cite web|last=Ebert|first=Roger|title=In the Bedroom|url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/in-the-bedroom-2001|website= [[Chicago Sun-Times]] |access-date=25 February 2014}}</ref>  He listed ''In the Bedroom'' as his third best film of the year 2001.<ref name="Ebert Top 10">{{cite web|last=Ebert|first=Roger|title=Roger Ebert Top 10 List|url=http://alumnus.caltech.edu/~ejohnson/critics/ebert.html|website=Alumnus.caltech.edu|access-date=25 February 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071231063216/http://alumnus.caltech.edu/~ejohnson/critics/ebert.html|archive-date=31 December 2007|url-status=dead}}</ref>

''[[Rolling Stone]]''{{'}}s [[Peter Travers]] called the film "an uncommonly good movie" that "will hit you hard."<ref name="Travers Review" /> He also mentioned that "[[Academy Awards|Oscar]] would be a fool" if it ignores Spacek and Wilkinson's "career-crowning performances".<ref name="Travers Review">{{cite magazine|last=Travers|first=Peter|title=In the Bedroom|date=January 11, 2002|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/movies/reviews/in-the-bedroom-20011113|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|access-date=25 February 2014|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120824021205/https://www.rollingstone.com/movies/reviews/in-the-bedroom-20011113 |archive-date=August 24, 2012}}</ref>

Among the negative reviews of the film include Paul Tatara of [[CNN]] mentioning that the film "flounders" despite the good performances.<ref name="Tatara Review">{{cite web |last=Tatara |first=Paul |date=November 23, 2001 |title='Bedroom' well-performed, but severe Dreadful atmosphere |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2001/SHOWBIZ/Movies/11/23/review.in.the.bedroom/index.html |access-date=25 February 2014 |publisher=[[CNN]]}}</ref> [[Stephen Hunter]] of ''[[The Washington Post]]'' said "it opens brilliantly" but goes on to "self-negating absurdity."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Hunter |first=Stephen |date=December 25, 2001 |title=Sorting Through Pain In a Messy 'Bedroom' |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/2001/12/25/sorting-through-pain-in-a-messy-bedroom/a71c6d31-e049-47aa-9ccc-cfb18dabc83b/ |access-date=January 18, 2023}}</ref>

=== Retrospective lists ===
[[A. O. Scott]] included the film in his ''[[The New York Times|New York Times]]'' essay "The most important films of the past decade—and why they mattered."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/15/magazine/15FOB-wwln-t.html|title=Screen Memories|first=A. O.|last=Scott|date=12 November 2009|website=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=22 August 2017}}</ref>

''In the Bedroom'' was also chosen by the New York Times Film Critics for their "Best 1,000 Films of All Time" list.<ref name="NYT In the Bedroom Overview">{{cite news|title=NYT In the Bedroom Overview|url=https://www.nytimes.com/movies/movie/237127/In-the-Bedroom/overview|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131210070457/http://www.nytimes.com/movies/movie/237127/In-the-Bedroom/overview|url-status=dead|archive-date=2013-12-10|department=Movies & TV Dept.|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=2013|access-date=2017-08-22}}</ref>

The March 2023 issue of ''[[New York (magazine)|New York]]'' magazine listed ''In the Bedroom'' alongside ''[[Citizen Kane]]'', ''[[Sunset Boulevard (film)|Sunset Boulevard]]'', ''[[Dr. Strangelove]]'', ''[[Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid]]'', ''[[The Conversation]]'', ''[[Nashville (film)|Nashville]]'', ''[[Taxi Driver]]'', ''[[The Elephant Man (1980 film)|The Elephant Man]]'', ''[[Pulp Fiction]]'', ''[[There Will Be Blood]]'', ''[[Roma (2018 film)|Roma]]'', and ''[[Tár]]'', also directed by Field, as "The Best Movies That Lost Best Picture at the Oscars".<ref name="The Best Movies That Lost Best Picture at the Oscars">{{cite news |date=March 28, 2023 |title=The Best Movies That Lost Best Picture at the Oscars |magazine=[[New York (magazine)|New York]] |url=https://www.vulture.com/article/best-oscar-best-picture-losers.html |access-date=2020-03-28}}</ref>''

The March 2024 issue of ''[[IndieWire]]'' listed ''In the Bedroom'' and ''[[Tár]]'', also directed by Field, as two of the "Best Picture Nominees that Deserved to win the Oscar."<ref>{{cite web |date=March 2, 2024 |title=40 Best Picture Nominees that Deserved to Win the Oscar|url=https://www.indiewire.com/gallery/best-picture-oscar-snubs/ |access-date=2024-03-02}}</ref>